Of a Lord and Lady
by Mini Chan
Summary: When one lady has sympathy for the most dispicable of sorts, and yet will not let go of her own faults, what is a Lord who can not fight his intrigue supposed to think? Why is he FEELING in the first place and why is she always so regretful?SESSHOC
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note:** Sooo… this is my first Inuyasha fic and I am really excited about it! I know what you are thinking, my reader, "Another OCC story?!". Have no fears Sesshy fans! I promise this will be different and I intend on making this certain lady have a solid depth and a character that can fit easily into the Inuyasha and Sesshomaru (of course) world. I am going to try to make their future relationship not break Sesshy out of character. I know it's nearly impossible, but I am up to the challenge! Therefore, I apologize for any out of characterness (yes, I made a word up) on Sesshomaru's or anyone's part. So, without further ado, here is Of a Lord and Lady.

**Inspiration music:** Overture (Hero soundtrack): Tan Dun The fire scene and coming of (Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack): John Williams Sadness of the Heart: Yanni, and many many others!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, or any other hot anime characters or awesome shows (weeps softly in corner). If I did, I would not have to write this for my own self-fulfillment. Wait…that sucks! Well, the upside is that I do own Hamada Sayuri and any other little person that pops into my demented mind that I feel the urge to force read to you. Hahaha…there is always an upside.

**Of a Lord and Lady**

**Chapter One: Ever Existing Hope**

What is it that kept her going each day? Was it the pitiful strings of remaining hope that reminded her of a future too far to reach? Was it the underling feeling of destiny that never quelled within her tired body? Perhaps, just pure demonic nature forced her to value her life in a second form of greediness that she could not suppress despite numerous efforts. Not even the girl herself understood the conflicting feelings she was faced with on the topic of her persistent resilience.

She had never completely wanted to die, even though her entire pack and family were gone. She had wanted to keep on living even though her reason for living had been obliterated. Did that make her bad in any sense of the word? A normal yokai with pack and family instincts would have been crushed to the point of self-deprecation and death in the situation she was faced with.

There was no doubt that she was utterly tormented with the loss and loneliness of having absolutely nothing left. But, she had not been so stricken as to take her own life and join her awaiting family and peers in the after world. This fact caused large amounts of guilt and pain to build upon her small and weary shoulders through out the years. 20 years to be exact. Normally a blink in a demon's existence had been prolonged sluggishly in the wake of her sadness.

Every day seemed like the same day she awoke to realize everything in her life had disappeared. And yet, she still carried on in a mask of beautiful tranquility and happiness; the shadow of everything she had been before the fall of her people. She portrayed what she could remember of herself on what she considered a blank canvas. She had no reason to not become bitter and spiteful at the world and yet she knew that the world was allowing her to stay in it and that she should follow in due respect because she was alive on its good graces.

She had tried to strive on revenge alone, but it was tearing at her soul. Revenge was coming in good time, but if she relied on the feeling for too long she would have nothing to live for when the feeling was no longer needed.

So, the only thing left for the girl was hope. Hope for a future, a purpose, a friendship, or an unlikely love. It was slightly funny; she had always lived with her head firmly drifting in the clouds…she supposed now was no different.

The seemingly teenage girl turned her large grey eyes to the sky and moved on in her journey that had no purpose. Perhaps, the purpose of her journey was to come across a purpose in the first place.

She emitted a small laugh constructed of musical bells at the absurd workings of her mind and continued walking down the well-beaten path. Yes, Hamada Sayuri would stay close to the cusp of life, if only at the chance of finding the things she was missing.

* * *

Small feet skipped along a strip of lustrous grass in a quiet meadow lined with wild flowers of multiple colors and fragrances. The small feet stopped every so often so that the girl attached to them, could bend down and pick a few buds of her liking to add to the massive bouquet growing in the circle of her small arms. 

Two stubby legs hobbled obediently along with the help of a wooden staff and an eagerness to please…well maybe not the small girl. The green face attached to the stubby legs scoffed in clear distain for the human child's actions as he made a pause to rest in his trekking.

Molten golden eyes of the coldest caliber swept straight forward in unabashed disinterest and serene contemplation. The owner of the placid eyes glided forward easily with the calm and smooth motions of a powerful man. He turned his chilly iris's upon that of his care free ward, who took no notice of his gaze, and then looked forward again without the expressionless mask dropping from his handsome features.

"Master Jaken!" at his named being called, the green imp stole a glare from his resting place on the ground and let out a gruff "What is it now Rin?" The small girl, Rin, repositioned the flowers in her grasp and ran past her caretaker to stand before the mandatory imp with a large white smile.

"Come now Master Jaken. If you do not hurry Sesshomaru-sama and Ah-Un will leave you behind!" She said cheerily with a gesture to the moving forms of the Lord and his two headed dragon companion. At seeing that his Lord was leaving them without hesitation the imp jumped up while quipping a "Hurry you foolish girl!" and ran jerkily to catch up. Rin, finding the entire situation amusing for some odd reason, giggled and jogged behind the toad demon with a tight hold on her bouquet.

"You're silly Master Jaken! Wait up for us Sesshomaru-sama!" At hearing the laughter-laden request, the great demon lord of the Western Lands slowed his movements so slightly, that the strangely perceptive girl could be the only being to notice the act.

When the black haired child finally reached his side, she let out the rest of her giggle fit and looked up at her Lord with a rosy-cheeked smile. The tall impassive demon glanced down at her content demeanor momentarily, before his emotion void pupils returned ahead and alert, though a miniscule of softness could be seen before it was washed out entirely from his golden stare.

Jaken, being as small as he was, finally caught up with the group after several seconds and cursed the sun and it's after noon rays as he sweat dropped. At seeing the brown clad imp in distress, the thoughtful girl came up with an idea to cheer up her smallest companion.

Being very coordinated, she continued to walk forward while turning her attention to searching the array of flowers resting against her body. After finding what she considered the prettiest flower in the bunch, she pulled out a white lily with light pink stains at the tip of its delicate petals and pushed it out into the smallest demon's peripheral.

Jaken stared at the flower critically and tugged at his bark colored collar in an attempt to cool himself down. "If the sun bothers you so badly Master Jaken, then take this flower to keep your mind off of it." Rin said while pushing the flower closer to his face with her tiny hand.

The imp scoffed for a second time that day and pushed the hand away while asking indignantly "How on Earth will a simple flower take my mind from this blistering heat you fool?!"

Rin frowned at his words and attempted to salvage her attempts. "You could look at the nice petals or smell it if you liked. It smells really nice Jaken! Here, see for yourself." She urged while placing the bud closer to his beak/nose.

Jaken slapped her hand away while yelling in contempt "Only you would come up with such a ridiculous idea! Stupid human!" Rin looked dejectedly down at her prized flower with glassy brown eyes while she unconsciously slowed her pace.

Sesshomaru had listened to the backdrop of conversation the entire time, but had not felt the need to intervene until the generally happy go lucky girl's feeling were clearly hurt by the imp's unkind words.

"You will take the flower Jaken." Boomed a deep and smooth voice filled with general insouciance, but with an underlying lilt of threat that the toad demon easily caught.

The imp faltered slightly, then screeched out a jittery "Of course my Lord! Please forgive my actions!" He snatched the flower from Rin's embrace and continued on in complete silence. It wasn't every day that the lord of the Western Lands vocalized his thoughts and when he did, Jaken knew to never ever ask questions, lest he stir the wrath he was not willing to endure.

Rin, being ecstatic that Jaken took the offered gift, brightened almost instantly and flashed her caretaker a brilliant smile. Sesshomaru resumed his slow stride onwards as if the entire situation hadn't even occurred.

Rin was happy despite the fact and began her search for an even more beautiful flower for her collection while humming an old folk song she picked up under her breath. Sesshomaru mused about a proper place to stop and feed his ward and servant while absently listening to the quiet tune. Jaken followed silently while inspecting the planes of the flower intently.

He had to admit, it truly was a beautiful little lily.

* * *

They had stopped an hour ago, and although Sesshomaru was known to not waste time unnecessarily, the group had not left their miniature campsite yet. 

Rin had caught a fish after some struggle in the brook across the small opening in the meadow, and it was cleaned and set upon a fire by Sesshomaru's skilled hand. After Rin and Jaken had consumed the fish and Ah-Un had his fill of grass, they remained in their peaceful resting spot, unaffected by the outside world.

Sesshomaru sat silently against the trunk of a shady tree with his one arm rested gracefully upon his bent up knee. He gazed at one spot in the crackling fire light the entire time and never gave way as to what his reflection might be behind his cold façade.

Jaken rested in between two large willow trees with his staff of two heads set firmly in front of him. His bulged yellow eyes remained tightly closed as if he was contemplating an important decision that Rin assumed involved large amounts of napping.

Rin lied on her stomach with her feet dangling merrily in the air next to Ah-Un, who took the time to nap himself. She busied herself in making dozens of crowns and garlands with her flower collection and had token it upon herself to dress the sleeping dragon with the colorful creations.

She was currently weaving a purple hydrangea with a red tsubaki while singing a little number about a Bon festival and dancing girls with blue ribbons in their hair.

Sesshomaru took time out of his thoughts and looked across the fire at the picture that the strange couple created. The shaded overpass of tree branches made dabbles here and there of light across the green-carpeted floor that highlighted certain places while leaving others in shadow that hopped noiselessly at the beacon of the windblown limbs.

The corners of her mouth were pointed sky ward and the half ponytail at the top of her raven head swayed with her slightest movements. Her small ankles and calves were bare for all the world to take notice and she swung them carelessly to the beat of her little song.

The usually ferocious dragon demon (rightfully named Ah-Un by none other than Rin) was curled up quite comfortably next to Rin with little dashes of color illuminating his coarse black mane. Carefully crafted wreathes were placed about each of the demon's neck and the whole outlook made Ah-Un look very much not ferocious.

Sesshomaru would have found the whole situation humorous if he wasn't in fact so…well, him. He let his momentary distraction slip back into the recesses of his mind and gazed on to the small glistening brook beyond the group.

Sesshomaru wasn't sure what to think about his new found "family", if it could even be called such a thing. Then again, it was preposterous to think that he needed one in the first place.

No, they were his wards, even his servants and that could never be considered as family, even with the daiyokai pack instincts constantly nagging him. The idea needn't even be indulged in the slightest. He had token the last advice his father had ever really given him and he still was not satisfied with the results.

The words of his father would persist to ring in his mind whenever he thought of the human girl and the misfit group that traveled with him. 'You must find someone to protect.' Hn.

He gave the group a once over with his indifferent scrutiny. His eyes stopped on Rin's small slouching form as she let sleepiness over take her. Her large brown eyes so full of innocence began to shudder faintly until they drifted close in defeat.

Whenever he wondered why he let the girl trail behind him, all he had to do was look at her and he didn't care for the reason anymore. All that mattered was that she was properly taken care of and he felt that no one could see to her well being better than himself. Any other would not have the ability to protect her.

She was small and followed what she was told. One more body could not possibly slow down the great Lord Sesshomaru. What difference did it make if she was here or not? Yet, what if she weren't here?

All of his musings went unknown to the rest of the group. Partially because he kept the same stoic expression upon his face and partially because they were all falling fast asleep. The sun was past mid point and it would not be long before they would have to find another camp for Rin to rest for the night.

Sesshomaru, being the ever-constant rationalist, decided that it might be best to stay where they were. 'It is fruitless to continue on without a lead as to where Naraku might be hiding. There is no point to traveling when we must recamp in a matter of hours.' The picturesque demon thought to himself inertly.

It would never be known if the motives of the Western Lord where that of his over critical thinking, or of a deeper unrecognized need to see that his young ward receive a proper and undisturbed sleep.

Either way, the young lord remained in his position and resumed his placid musings, his eyes embellished by the crackling of dieing firelight.

* * *

Two large and bulging red eyes took on the scene before him with a rampant greediness, glowing from it's spoiled depths. It was well past dark and he was following a trail of humans back to their village for his evening meal, when the most intoxicating scent lead him to his current position. He was lurking behind a row of tall bushes, his hunger lost to the sea of his uncouth lust at the sight before him. 

Beyond the row of bushes lied a pool of cool water that reflected a crescent moon perfectly upon it's murky stillness, as if the surface were stone. The only tiny ripples that the deep blue water dare emit, were being caused by delicate pale ankles that were the main focus of his sinful attention.

There, displayed in all the wonder that a demon could ever hope to find, was the most beautiful and bewitching creature he had ever beheld, wadding mutely in the shallow depths.

Her skin shown as unmarred alabaster and glistened it's natural aura against the darkness surrounding her. Her thin form was displayed gracefully in the tight fitting kimono of white and pink silk that she had pulled up past her knees with her lithe fingers, for easy admittance into the inky pool.

Long hair, the palest of blonde, spilled over her shoulders and down to the small of her back. The moonlight illuminated the thin locks with illusions of grey and deep blue that made each strand shine with it's own natural radiance.

Her eyes though, those are what he knew would plague him if he could not possess her. A dusky grey, piercing with a brightness that could reciprocate any color that shone upon the watery orbs, peeked behind a flurry of thick black lashes and curtain of near white bangs.

While taking her in hungrily with his eyes, her sweet scent became too much to handle and he knew that he must have her.

When he was assured that her concentration was elsewhere and that she had no pack members or weapons near by, he slowly crawled out of the bushes. She was small and seemed young for a demoness, so he was assured that her conquest would be an easy but pleasurable one.

* * *

She could have heard the labored panting if it were a mile away. She did not move from her wadding spot though, taking advice of a long lost instructor. 'Let the faulty make the first move.' 

Apparently, the fool had not noticed the long rokushakubo tucked into her black obi and hanging down her left side, skimming the dark water.

She played along with his games despite his negative motives. She might as well let him feel an iota of happiness or superiority before he died. She continued to wade in the water enjoying how the sand felt beneath her bare toes when she caught the brunt force of the warthog demon's stench.

She tried not to curl her nose up at the assaulting smell, but it was to no avail. 'Perhaps if he had better grooming habits, he would not have to force himself onto others for affection.' She thought absently while cupping a small amount of liquid and letting it trickle through her fingertips.

She was hoping that the demon would move on and she would not have to terminate his life, but she knew that he was looking to feed before he had come upon her. 'It just would not be suitable for him to devour the little ones in that village.' Knowing that she had no other choice, she waited patiently for his first move.

As he stood up to his full height, shadowing her small form completely, he decided to give her an ultimatum of sorts.

"Girl!" he yelled out gruffly with a slurring most likely caused from the giant tusks sticking out of his mouth that curved almost completely around his thick head. She took that time to acknowledge his presence and turned around to face the beast.

He was at least 6'8'' and was packed with full and foreboding muscles. His skin consisted of a sickly dark brown covered in course dark hair from his hoof to his animal like ears.

Luckily (for the sake of her eyes), he was clad in a dark green armor made of some type of scale, which covered his grown desire and most likely marked him as someone important to the tribe he belonged to.

Someone was not going to be happy when he was killed.

She looked up curiously at his large red pupils, without fear or shock in her honest eyes and it confused him to see the missing components in his sexual prey.

"I will allow you a choice my beauty." He bellowed while taking a few strides forward, his hoofs sinking slightly into the mud bank. Something she took careful note of without breaking eye contact.

"What choice would that be?" she asked quietly. The sound of her achingly sweet voice made him want her more. He smiled sinisterly before saying "You can either willingly become my mate or…" he stepped forward after his first admission and let his grubby finger slide underneath her pointed little chin. "Or, I can take you by force and leave you to die."

At this point, she had a full view of his unattractive yellow teeth and although his arm reach was long, he was standing a bit too close for comfort.

When she just blinked up at him, he became mildly angry and demanded her answer while stepping inches closer. "But, I don't even know your name." She let the words run pleasantly from her lips even though the situation was anything but.

The beast felt satisfied that he was getting somewhere with his endeavor and let out a sly grin while roaring out "I am Yamaro of the Southern Hog Clan, Yomashi."

She let her chin slip out of his greasy palm and backed away while dropping the pink hem of her kimono, which fell gracefully just past her knees without being dampened by the water.

"Well, Yamaro, of the Southern Yomashis'…" Her grey eyes flashed as she moved easily into a simple fighting stance, the water barely rippling by her timid movements, and pulled out a long metal bo from it's mandatory resting place tucked at her side.

She swung the silver staff around her head once, it's rune engravings catching the light, and then let the smooth object slide through her hands to rest diagonally from her stance.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer."

At hearing her polite words mixed with the large weapon she easily concealed and the glowing intelligence and power that suddenly radiated from her light pupils, Yamaro was enraged. He stomped forward at full speed and splashed wildly in the once calm pond.

She kept her stance without moving and waited for the opportune moment. While he clamored onward, his hooves became more and more muddled in the sand beneath his massive weight.

When he was just a foot away, she gripped her rokushakubo tighter and her large eyes sparked a dark green before returning to their normal color. Though confused by the sudden change in his prey, Yamaro pursued on, his anger feeding his lust.

It became all too clear when his legs could no longer move in the shallow waters. He was trapped up to the thigh in a cocoon of hardened mud. He tried to break free as he became bewildered and slashed the air separating him from the girl he thought would be an easy conquest.

His anger multiplied as she placed one end of her staff on the ground with a little splash, the other end towering above her head a few inches.

He understood then, taking in her immeasurable beauty with her unique demonic features and that bo she held so calmly with a hand whose wrist had a vine marking. He became even angrier then, for he knew he had made the last mistake of his life.

"You're an Earth elementalist!" he hollered out at her while trying to break his mud bindings.

The girl's soft pillow of light pink lips turned up into a strange smile at his words. "In some ways, yes." She said softly while bringing her hand up above her head.

Her long white sleeve slipped from her arm revealing the smooth expanse of her wrist, which was riddled by the twisting green lines of vines and small yellow tribal suns as blooms. Yamaro's brow furrowed deeply in blind confusion and he screamed out at her with all the fury he could muster in one breath. "What the hell are you?!"

The girl let her ashy grey gaze drop to the dark reflection of herself in the still waters. Her vine markings lit up to a vibrant green shine as the deep runes in her rokushakubo illuminated in a similar fashion. Her eyes mirrored the forest color once more as her long pale hair lifted in thin air to swim in spirals around her heart shaped face.

"That is an excellent question." She whispered sadly, as multiple whips of thorny branches shot out of the water itself and wrapped their slender bristles about the hog's neck, limbs, and torso.

Yamaro stood shocked from the stealthy aura that the girl produced and struggled for breath as the stinging branches tore the skin of his neck. Blood had started to trickle down his arms and legs and stopped to mingle with the pond's watery swirls. The braches were becoming tighter and tighter and the beast knew that she could make them rip right through him.

"You deceived me you bitch!" He screamed out while trying to fight off the death grip of her Bara Fuujikomu (meaning in a more loose term, thorn to entrap or thorns of entrapment).

She kept her eyes downcast and murmured "Yes, and I am sorry." With a swift swoop, she swung her rokushakubo in a full circle, the end whipping up a little wave of water, until it rested in both her hands again. The move seemed meaningless to the demon for she had not come close to touching him with the staff as of yet, but as the branches bit painfully into his dense skin, he once again came into full realization.

She let the dimming green of her eyes meet the bewildered red of the hog's and looked upon the last expression the demon would make alive. To see a creature, any creature, die no matter what their sins against others might have been, was a painful thing for her to watch. But, she had been taught that the only way to honorably kill was to look upon the face of her victim before they left the world.

'Only when reality streams across your vision, can you escape the risk of living a life of lies. Only then, can you completely come to terms with your own sins so that your future ones are not overly destructive and have a righteous purpose.'

So, she looked on as pain twisted in his dark face and he screamed out loudly until, in one quick instant, the branches pushed completely through his rough exterior and ripped his body into multiple masses. Blood sprayed outward from the open gashes and what remained of his body fell thickly to the lake floor until all that resumed was as eerie silence.

She hated when it ended like that. When there was nothing to reassure that a presence had been alive, but their mangled corpse and a mocking silence.

She had managed to slay him far enough away, that blood did not stain her treasured kimono, but as her aura returned to normal and her hair fell around her shoulders, she couldn't help but notice that the lake she had intended to wade peacefully in was slowly being consumed with scarlet red. The slow churn of blood spinning around her bare calves mocked her as well. She disliked irony quite a bit.

She peered down with a numb expression in her silvery eyes and whispered inaudibly "I'm sorry that you could not find love in your life Yamaro, of the Southern Yomashis'."

She lifted up her hem once more and started to move around the corpse, intending to leave the body for the natural process of the earth or to be consumed by a lesser demon in hopes it would avoid finding food in a village, when a smooth baritone voice met her sensitive elfin ears.

"Why should you feel remorse?"

**Crazy girl glossary:**

**Sayuri**: Her name actually means little lily. Hence, the semi importance of Jaken and Rin's little spout about the flower.

**Rokushakubo:** it is a full bo, usually ranging from 5 to 6 feet high, depending on the user. If I mention bo or staff, it all means the same thing. I just don't feel like beating the word to death.

**Bara Fuujikomu**: I actually had to really look this one up. It means loosely: thorn to entrap: Bara meaning thorn and Fuujikomu meaning to entrap. Since dubbers get to screw with the Japanese language to see them fit, so I thought that I could interpret it as Thorns of Entrapment. I just think it sounds cooler.

**Pretty please review!** Not that I'm desperate or anything like that. **Inner me: Yea right, you loser! You want lots and lots of acceptance and you know it!** Shut up inner me! Geesh, I'm so rude! Anyway, comments and constructed criticism welcome (less of the latter more than welcome) and flames happily ignored. See ya on the flip side g! **Told ya she was a loser.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note**: Ok, its time for chappy two!! This is a fairly long one and basically goes over what happened with Sayuri in the first chapter from Sesshomaru's perspective. I did this to get a good feel of how his character would think in different situations, so that I can make him grow as a person (or should I say as a yokai) without taking him out of character. It also seemed important for the fellow viewers and I to get accustomed to Sesshy thinking things and not saying them, because he is the epitome of the silent type. I really enjoyed writing the last half of this one, because of Rin's randomness and the way I got to connect it in with the story. We also finally get some Sayuri/Sesshy interaction, which I think turned out great. Therefore, without further ado, here is chapter two. (Heh...I rhymed!)

**Inspiration music: Broken Wings: from the Trinity Blood Ed, Sora: Yoko Kanno, Sad Violin solo: Neon Genesis Evangelion soundtrack, Let me be with you: Chobits ending theme (I really love to listen to that one when reading the last parts) and many, many more!!! **

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, Rin, Jaken or…I cannot say it **(inner me: You have to stupid! We can't afford getting sued. We aren't even paid for this**.)…fine…I don't own Sesshomaru. _Bawls in corner and pounds fists on wall. _**(See, was that so bad?**)_…yes._

**Of a Lord and Lady**

**Chapter Two: To begin with a Disturbance **

The moon was in full peak and the world was covered in a blanket of darkness. This darkness would bring some comfort and others fear. The person who would be stalked would fall and the stalker would be victorious. The child who slept in a quite village, would seek dreams through out the night. The child who slept in the village that was being attacked, would sleep for the last time. It all depended on fate and fate still had it's chance to play a hand or two with the life of a certain daiyokai…

The small fire was gradually being consumed by the night and the light was becoming dimmer with each passing crackle. Sesshomaru opened his eyes from his long contemplation and let them roam about the camp. The chilly irises paused on his young ward that slept soundly with her stomach on Ah-Un's saddle. She was curled up against the furriest part of the demon and had a piece of his black mane twisting around her littlest finger.

Jaken had abandoned pretending not to sleep and was resting his back against the dragon's stomach, snoring loudly with each nasally breathe. Seeing as everything was in order, he decided to let his senses out on a patrol of sorts, to ease his confidence of there being no dangerous aura that would have to be eliminated in the area that he presided.

He closed his impassive eyes and let his impeccable hearing and sense of smell reign over the forested region. He could smell the general scent of humans in the near by village and a multitude of small night dwellers that scurried about the forest floor, but nothing threatening. He was about to discontinue his search when a powerful stench reached his nostrils.

The smell reeked of pig demon and it was increased sharply with the intensity of the foul creature's uncontained lust. Underneath the horrible odor, he could make out the faint fragrance of fresh flowers and the cherries that Rin so enjoyed eating. It was strange to say the least, but something about the creature's faint aroma was subdued as if it were trying to hide itself.

Thoroughly puzzled (though he would never admit to it), Sesshomaru took a sidelong glance at the small girl and determined that it would be detrimental if she were to wake to the sounds of pig demon mating.

Scenting his destination was not too far from the campsite, he thought it a waste of time to wake the three up, when he would be able to sense their every move from where he was headed. Not to mention Ah-Un would take care of anything that might arise in his absence until he returned. Therefore, with a game plan in mind, Sesshomaru stood erect elegantly and walked in the direction the scent was located without a ruffle of cloth.

Surprisingly enough, his future target was somewhere west of the brook that the clearing they had stopped by bordered. He walked past the sleeping group and turned the corner of the sheltering trees while striding gracefully upon the white rocks that separated the woodland from the small stream that he walked parallel from. As he ventured on, the water mass became denser and the rock beneath him became dark, fertile soil.

He was instantly hit with a wave of smell that defiantly distinguished the question as to how many beings he was pursuing. The disgusting waft of the assured male, pig demon became almost intolerable, but the sweet perfume that was still so mild seemed to strike up as he honed in on it.

It seemed strange that he could not determine the exact flower the scent resembled, for he had been near Rin long enough to have his fill of the plants for the rest of his demonic life. Things became even more puzzling and it disturbed the young lord's usual train of thought.

'Why hadn't I sensed this presence before I reached for it intentionally? I should have been aware of it as soon as it appeared.' Although some of his questions remained unanswered, others he had were answered with pure common knowledge.

The only reason a clearly 'heated' male pig demon of any clan would be any where near a fragrance such as that, was if he was picking flowers with way too much enthusiasm or he had more ominous desires on his mind.

Not wanting to act as a savior of any sorts, Sesshomaru almost reconsidered his little mission. Then he remembered Rin's pure ears and the endless questions that would follow from hearing any form of mating. He knew (regrettably) how loud pig demons became during such times of weakness and wanted to spare his ears from the horrendous noise as well as from Rin's incorrigible curiosity.

He turned at the rounded rim the water created as the brook emptied into a good-sized pond of some sort. The tree line became thicker around the area, which he supposed many bathing humans would use to their advantage for privacy purposes. Surprisingly enough, not even the sweet perfume seemed to belong to that of a human.

It would appear quite impossible for a human with even the best of hygiene rituals, to have such an untainted scent. The situation was growing more and more uneasy in the mind of the young lord.

It was not that he was curious in any sense of the ridiculous word. He just knew what form of precautions to take in order to avoid certain problematic circumstances, and this was one of them. Sometimes staying three steps ahead took effort (though not much for Sesshomaru).

The dark waters depicted the sliver of moon left hanging in the desolate sky with perfect clarity for Sesshomaru's keen eyes. He took his time in reaching the destination, mostly because he did not care and partially because he wanted to investigate the situation without frightening the couple off. The faster he found the reason as to why he could not detect the softer smell, the faster he could eliminate it with peace of mind.

'This Sesshomaru does not act so brash as to kill something without requiring the answers to it's ability to evade, even for the slightest of times.' He thought evenly. To think that there was a weakness in the lord's sensory system was absolutely absurd. To think that this creature had a trickery spell to cover it's own aura was much more plausible, but an annoyance none the less.

He was coming upon a clearing holding the objects of his attention quickly, and on the way he had become much more interested (as interested that he could ever really get) in the softer smell over the vile. Sesshomaru willed his aura to conceal itself in a matter of seconds as he approached the row of trees that stood between the scents and himself. He moved through a path in the thick foliage without hesitation and came upon an unlikely scene at the other side.

He remained in the dark underpass of the condensed forest and allowed his eyes to adjust to the sight that unfolded at about 20 feet from where he stopped placidly. His acute eyesight could make out every single detail lying before him and this only helped in slowly piquing his almost nonexistent interest.

Sesshomaru was standing down west of the display, which allowed him to see the side, and back of one small being and the shadow of a very large and very aroused warthog demon trying to hide itself behind a row of bushes to no avail.

The moon, which had seemed very much emaciated moments ago, had managed to brighten the space up extensively to where nothing could escape his stony vision. The flowery perfume hit his awaiting nose at its full extent and to a much lesser demon, it would have been overly intoxicating. To Sesshomaru, it was just another smell.

He chose to view her then and his eyes deceived him with their unnecessary lingering. The small creature was definitely female and she was more than likely a demon of some sort. It was so strange and unfamiliar to the intelligent and all knowing lord. Why would a demoness have such a pure aura?

Her whole presence seemed to radiate a light and warmth that Sesshomaru wasn't sure if he was overly comfortable with. She was strangely small in height and very slender threw out her body, which was held with a great deal of grace. Her snowy skin seemed to allure the eye in a way that Sesshomaru ignored without a second thought.

Her tight kimono was unusually elaborate with a white silk base dabbed with the occasional light pink blossom and trimmed in black threading. Her pitch-black obi pulled attractively at the small curves of her abdominal and tied it all off in a complicated bow. 'What is one with as much stature to afford such clothing doing wadding in an unmarked pond with no supervision?' He thought while his detached gaze went over the small girl.

She held the hem of her skirts over her knees with gentle fingers, which probably didn't help cool the waters of the hog demon's yearning. Her legs were very long for her size and were slender in the same way the rest of her body was. She was extremely still and looked at times as if she was not even breathing.

His eyes traveled instinctively to her thin shoulders, which led to the smoothness of her long, pale neck. From what he could see, she had a small heart shaped face accented with high cheekbones and a minute nose with a pointed tip. Her lips were full and colored a subtle pink.

Half of her face was hidden in shadow, but from what was visible, her eyes were large and deeply expressive as she peered down at the cool water in a state of serenity, which was a benefit to her pursuer's lewd intentions.

Although the color was new to him, her eyes were vaguely familiar to someone long ago. The large dusky grey of the iris in her gaze remained unwavering from it's spot on the water's reflection and he could not get the view of them as he would have preferred. Her aura was so dimmed that he couldn't tell what kind of intellect or power she possessed if he could not look straight into her eyes.

The final thing he allowed his gaze to fall on was her hair. It was not as long as his own or most female demons for that matter, but it was more lustrous and well cared for than he had seen since his own mothers locks. It was the most peculiar color that Sesshomaru had never seen on a demon and most definitely did not belong to a human.

It was almost as white as a dog yokai's hair would be, but it had a light golden hue to it that set it apart from anything he could recall or remember. It seemed ashy grey in some areas and entrapped in the darkness of moonlight in others. It reached the girl's mid back to which it fell over her shoulders and covered her forehead in side swept bangs.

Sesshomaru would be a fool to deny that she was incredibly beautiful. He would also be a fool to think that it would matter or effect him in any way, shape, or form. Beauty was a petty thing, that never out won power despite it's vicious allure to the less fortunate that were succumbed by it. Beauty would not stop the girl from being raped and it would not persuade him to help her.

That was why Sesshomaru had not moved. Despite her fragile appearance, her aura led him to believe she was hiding in some way or trying to accomplish something by not revealing her own motives. He could not detect a hint of fear in the sugary depths of her scent. It was clear that she knew there was a rather large and hostile presence behind her (any demon with a functional nose would) and yet, she made no move to yell for help or flee the area.

She just stood there and even took to wiggling her toes in the sand. 'What is wrong with this woman?' He could not keep his thoughts under check and the ones that strayed; he could not pull back under the reign of his complete control. This was supposed to be a simple slay, not an ignorant mystery to be uncovered.

He was moving forward to deliver a strike to bring down both the reeking male and the impractical girl when she did something so trivial that it stopped him in his tracks. She turned ever so slightly, revealing the entirety of her gentle face, and moved the silk crumpled in one hand to that of the other while dipping her hand in the water. Strangely enough, she had no marking on the alabaster skin of her face to indicate the kind of yokai she might be.

Her clear eyes looked so sad and contemplative and the thin strands of the wispy hair framing her pointed ears caught the full brunt of the moonlight, as she lifted a cup of it in her palm and let it drain, forgotten through her slender fingers.

It shouldn't have effected his judgment, but it did and he knew it could not be helped. The strange innocence those eyes held resembled too much to Rin's for his liking. That human child had made something different and he wasn't so sure he liked that either.

It was utterly against his nature, but still, he stood there, as unmoving as the strange girl, and waited. He still seeked answers to questions that only the demoness in front of him held, so her death would be folly without them being brought forth to light.

There was also the fact that the girl seemed so much younger with her gorgeous features tilted towards him. She wafted an undiluted purity that not many demonesses could boast of and the same that Rin had. It was not that the cold demon lord was becoming more sentimental or soft in any way. He would decapitate any who thought such ridiculous nonsense.

It was not Rin and her unstoppable ability to make him think things differently from what he would ever want to purposefully. This had something to do with what his father had engraved in his mind as a pup. Something that had 'stuck', for lack of a better word, through out the years.

His father had told him many a times about the weakness and lack of judgment that a demon with high passions could possess. It was something that Sesshomaru had never suffered from and never would. '_An over need for power and an insatiable greediness would corrode_ _away at a demon's correct mind frame_.'

Lust was a word brought up once or twice. He had told Sesshomaru that a demon would have certain needs to be fulfilled through out his life.

'_If one was to take those needs from a helpless or pure demoness, it_ _would be considered a weakness. It is an exploit of power that only brings the worth of your strength down and shows flaws in your self-control. It would be much like engaging in battle just because your opponent could never defeat you_.'

Sesshomaru had actually taken his father's words as more than just hopeful nonsense for once and applied it to his life. He was not one for idealism, but he was one for demonstrating the superiority of his power over demon's with little to no self-control.

'They are pathetic in their desperation.' So, he waited beneath the treetops with the same stoic façade set firmly on his fine features.

The warthog demon decided to make it's presence known and stood to it's full length, completely shadowing the girl. Still, Sesshomaru sensed no fear from her. In fact, she looked rather bored.

The demon was perhaps one of the more unsightly creatures he had come across and the lord had come across many a creature. Perhaps it was the demon's unbridled arousal that appeased it's over all disgustingness. He had never found Warthog demons pleasant to look at.

The hog looked the girl up and down with want seeping from the redness in it's eyes and Sesshomaru felt something in his demonic subconscious flare up at the hog's obvious leering that he could not and would not dare comprehend. There were some things in his daiyokai nature that he completely ignored at times and he was all the better for it.

Sesshomaru's quick perceptive caught the armor the demon was clothed in and recalled a southern tribe of the beasts with generals who wore such colors.

'Girl!' the beast squabbled out with a garbled tone. Without flinching and barely blinking, the girl turned in a graceful little circle and looked up at the demon expectantly. That's when Sesshomaru saw it. There, slipped into her constricting obi near her lean back was a very long and heavy metal rokushakubo, barely concealed even with one end in the water.

Now, Sesshomaru was never surprised… by anything, but this had taken him back if only by a tad. He didn't show it of course, or make any move to think he even noticed such a thing. It was a feat that she was even standing with the weapon strapped to her back in such a way. The fact that she had concealed the massive object from both him and the hog was almost too impossible to believe.

It took a great deal of power, which would seem nothing compared to his own, to even lift the rarely used weapon. Although many demons have fooled others with their appearance and abilities, for instance his half brother's obvious clueless and witless exterior and his ability to use tessaiga. This girl was hiding much more than just her scent.

The hog demon was obviously confused to find that the girl was neither surprised nor afraid by his sudden appearance. The beast kept talking to the girl and Sesshomaru wondered what on earth he might have to say to her at such a time.

"I will allow you a choice my beauty." He practically screeched at her as he stepped forward on the sinking bank. She kept her eyes trained on his without falter. In a very soft and feminine voice, she responded in a polite and kind tone

"What choice would that be?" It seemed as though the girl had no fear what so ever while she chose the time to be courteous in the face of her own demise. That or she was incredibly daft and ignorant regarding her current predicament.

The beast seemed overly pleased with the sound of her voice and grinned menacingly before taking a few strides closer to her. "You can either willingly become my mate or…" He stepped close enough to push his thick finger underneath her chin. Even with him so close, she still did not recoil or make a move to escape her approaching attacker.

"Or, I can take you by force and leave you to die." It actually seemed like she was coming up with a response to the threatening ultimatum from the time that lapsed on. When the demon became impatient with her lack of fear and nonexistent answer, he demanded her to speak.

'What could she possibly say?' The handsome lord wondered, his cold eyes remaining steadily on her pale form.

In a very affable manner, she blinked up at the beast and said quietly "But, I don't even know your name."

If Sesshomaru were not mistaken, it would seem like the girl was toying with the much larger demon. It was a ludicrous notion and yet there was no other way to describe her actions. Either way, the warthog was satisfied with her reply and the prospects of an attractive female mating with him on her own free will. It was truly pathetic.

"I am Yamaro of the Southern Hog Clan, Yomashi." He declared with pride gushing with his unarticulated words. It was just as Sesshomaru had expected. He had heard speculations that the clan was moving through the western areas secretly for a surprise attack in the north. Now he knew that the speculations were more than just rumors and the filthy animals were in fact, moving through the territory without official permission.

HIS territory to be more exact. If they had planned to move quietly in his lands, causing rape and pillage on the way was most irrational. Future planning of certain clan's destruction aside, he turned his focus back to the anomaly of a girl when she started to move.

She backed out of Yamaro's grasp and let the hem of her kimono drop to it's resting place on her knees. She took several steps backward in the shallow pool before coming to a fluid stop.

"Well, Yamaro, of the Southern Yomashis'…." She said kindly before stepping into a simple fighting position.

She pulled the long bo out from her obi without a hint of a struggle and twisted it effortlessly above her head without tension in any of the muscles in her small body. The secret engravings of the silver metal catching the night light did not go unknown to the all-seeing lord.

'A metal rokushakubo of that size, must weigh at least 60 pounds. Is this a slight of hand?' Sesshomaru felt entirely in the dark about the impossible sight the girl created until, in a matter of moments, her aura was unleashed in waves of calculated power and intellect. The light drafts of her being seemed to push it's way across his skin in a hauntingly gentle way.

'What purpose did she have by hiding her true strength? Why did she not just slay that fowl beast as soon as it made itself known?' Things became even more nonsensical when she slipped the bo into both her hands and continued her poised admission.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer." She finished tranquilly. Becoming completely outraged from the outcome of events that should have been in his own favor, Yamaro snarled and charged forward, splashing away at the water wildly. The girl did not move from her stance or make any indication that she would.

As the beast closed in on her, Sesshomaru could feel the sudden displacement of energy in the air for mere seconds, before it disappeared completely. Yamaro's crazed movements ceased when dark mud slicked it's way up his thighs and hardened instantaneously, trapping him to the watery ground.

'An Earth elementalist? She does not have the general features as such a yokai would.'

She then placed one end of the staff on the ground and held it loosely at her side. Yamaro fought against the encasement and tried to swat at the girl in an attempt to escape the mistake he had made for the sake of fulfilling his depleting desire. If the beast had an iota of knowledge in his burly body, he would know that any form of an elementalist would prove to be a dangerous encounter. He had fought quite a few in the past and each one of them managed to put up an honorable fight, but never enough to badly wound the mighty Sesshomaru.

With her hand outstretched from her long ivory sleeve and grasping the bo, her wrist became plain sight to his sharp vision. Sesshomaru's eyes slanted as he remembered where he had seen that very same rare vine and tribal sun marking on a yokai from his past.

It was impossible.

"You're an Earth elementalist!" the gruff one screamed in indignation, most likely in fear for his pitiful life.

Her sad smile and hushed words were confusing. Her eyes were hidden by the drape of her bangs and he still could not come into full comprehension.

"In some ways, yes." She lifted her thin arm above her fair head and her other wrist was fully revealed to the world. It was not an illusion, but it still did not make any of it possible. The hog finally caught sight of the twisted marks and he fought harder against his muddy grave.

"What the hell are you?!" The air was being displaced once more by fizzes of invisible energy that accomplished in crawling its way up Sesshomaru's spine. She dropped her eyes to her reflection in the clear water, as if trying to reaffirm what she truly was.

"That is an excellent question." Her ashen hair began its flowing dance in the air around her head and the markings on her wrists and the runes on her tall staff glowed a peculiar green. In an abrupt flash, several thorny vines sprouted from the water's surface and completely rendered the hog still. His shock quickly wore off to anger and he started to struggle against the branches biting into his calloused flesh.

"You deceived me you bitch!" Sesshomaru thought how the creature had swiftly fastened himself the victim utterly absurd. She did not raise her eyes as she said with true remorse striking her mellow voice "Yes, and I am sorry." She whipped her rokushakubo out of the water, pushing a wave past Yamaro's red visage, and turned it into a complete half circle until it rested in her awaiting hand.

She had not even touched the captured demon and confusion bled into his face, before complete panic set in. The branches tore wounds into the hog's flesh and armor and he cried out in pain as blood trickled down the open injuries to join the force of liquid at his hooves. Her eyes, still glowing a pupilless green, bored right into the red of the dying demon.

Her graceful features seemed pained, yet they did not look away. She seemed to be reminiscing as she watched the thorns pierce deeper and deeper into it's flesh, as if it were as easy to cut through as a string.

'Why?'

Then, with a final shrill, the branches pushed right threw the hog and divided his body into multiple chunks. Blood spurted outward before falling to the waters surface and joining the sliced corpse in a sickening thump. It was one of the neatest deaths that Sesshomaru had seen and the demon should be happy that he was not put into too much misery before he left for the afterlife.

He was not expecting this little mission to be like this. He never would expect this.

The tension in the air ceased and the girl's hair fell to her back in many spirals. She reeled in her aura once more and her eyes remained focused on the vacant stare of the carcass at her bare feet. She had true sorrow ablaze in her shadowy gaze and she glared at the blood seeping into the water as if it were the cause of the circumstances she had been in.

Why did she feel compassion for a creature that had attempted to rape her and leave her for dead just moments ago? Why did she cover her aura so often? Why did she have the marks belonging to a tribe, which would make her very presence very much impossible? Sesshomaru saw fit it the time to find the answers to his inquiries, which in turn, would determine the outcome of the girl's life and slowly stepped out of the darkness.

"I'm sorry that you could not find love in your life Yamaro, of the Southern Yomashis'." She whispered in a melodious voice before lifting the hem of her kimono and preparing to step around the dead body of the late Yamaro. He reached the bank of the bleak pond and stopped just short of stepping in the water before he vocalized a word.

"Why should you feel remorse?" he questioned coldly and without hesitation.

To say that the once somber demoness was shocked was an understatement of the most superb nature. A quick inhale of breath was heard before her entire body whipped around hastily, dropping her kimono and staff into the water with a large splash in the process. He was met with a pair of very large and very surprised grey eyes that looked over him from his feet to the top of his head in complete disbelief.

He could tell that he had hidden his presence well for she looked as if he had stricken her. He supposed she was not used to sudden surprises. After the second time her vision registered his materialization, he could smell a faint attractiveness admit from her before it was capped off with a blazing crimson staining her cheeks. He had never seen a demoness make such an expression and it added to the growing pile of mystery the girl had developed without her knowledge.

She brought a slender hand up to her chest in attempts to slow her disturbed breathing while her eyes stayed glued to his in a way that was unnerving him. He would have killed her for such open gawking of his person if she didn't have the answers that he needed and if he hadn't been noticing the spirals of violet in her open gaze. Her eyes began returning to their normal size, although they remained acutely wary and she shook her fair head, as if waking from a trance.

Sesshomaru wasn't sure how much patience he had for the girl and he wanted her to speak, but would never repeat himself. She seemed to be finding her voice and in a breathless manner asked "Who are you?"

The lord was not sure if the girl had even understood his inquiry and her ignorance was not improving his mood. "Answer my question." He demanded in his usual monotone.

Her eyes widened a millimeter before her trim eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm sorry. You frightened me and I did not hear the question. What was it you asked?" She asked with sincerity in her features and a nervous giggle that reminded him of teacup bells.

Perhaps it was the fact that she had forgotten her weapon and had not seen him as a threat or the fact that she seemed so much smaller and delicate closer up. Either way, Sesshomaru's original resolve, dissolved and he reiterated his question for the girl.

"Why should you feel remorse?" he asked for the last and final time. If she did not answer, he would terminate her immediately.

It did not take long after he uttered the phrase, for her entire face to fall. It seems it was not just his question or her bo that she had forgotten so quickly. Her eyes glazed over and she took a side-glance at the body behind her and at the blood that had contaminated all the water she stood in.

She didn't take her eyes off her victim and whispered numbly "Ohh…that." Her gaze found the bloody reflection of herself in the water overly interesting while murmuring with more enthusiasm, "Why shouldn't I?"

Sesshomaru did not want to play games with the girl or waste any more time, so he followed up regardless of his inner voice. "He would have killed you."

She remained quiet for a moment as if mulling his response over in her head until she raised her poignant regard back to his cold one. He had never seen a demon (male or female) display their emotions so openly. It usually resulted with an accusation of weakness and death.

"I know that." She said with more strength in her melodious speech. "But, he seemed like a lonely soul and I am sure that in different life circumstances, he could have been a better one." She said with a small smile gracing her gentle features resulting in a complete 180 on her emotions.

It was not what he was intending to hear pass her peachy lips, but that is what she truly thought. It made no difference to him either way. Content with the conversation even though he had not said anything else yet, she bent down carefully and lifted her rokushakubo from its crimson resting place.

"Are you always so talented at sneaking up on people?" she asked lightly while shaking the red water droplets from her weapon. She was moving the conversation away from the matter at hand and she truly thought that he would just follow along without notice or objection? Yet, there was the accusation that he was sneaking prior to their encounter that needed correction.

"This Sesshomaru does not sneak." He amended evenly, the same uncaring façade cemented on his features. The girl looked taken back by his correction and immediately stopped the bo's shaking. A subtle blush stained her cheeks as she began what would later be considered as the beginning of it all.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to offend …wait" she paused mid sentence, her face suddenly becoming a flurry of confusion, shock, and then curiosity. Sesshomaru was beginning to find this girl had a way at wearing away at his stable nerves with her quick changing expressions alone.

"You're Sesshomaru?" she asked with her head tilted to the side and her eyes looking him over once more to reaffirm her judgments. His name flowered softly from her lips in an effortless way that bemused him in a way unnatural from anything he had felt.

Sesshomaru was a bit peeved that she had not recognized his station from the beginning and was surprised that even after she realized who he was, she had not used his formality.

She just stood there, her long hair almost touching the waters from the awkward position she had her head in, awaiting his answer. What was it that she expected him to say? It was now obvious to her that he was whom she asked. Why did she need confirmation of what she already knew? It seemed she did not, for when he did not answer her she went on without waver.

A smile began to grow on her lips as she righted her head and joyfully said, "You answered one of my questions."

If Sesshomaru had not been confounded before, he definitely was now. She gave the impression that she had not even recognized his name to begin with and she was just pleasantly shocked that he answered her first question. Which he didn't even do intentionally. How did this girl's mind work?

However, there was still this twinkle of recognition in her dusky eyes that stated other wise. It did not seem as if she was going to give away what she did and did not know. If it took this much to get nothing out of her, then what was the point of him remaining. It was either jump around her play on words and fill in the blanks of what she didn't let on or threaten answers out of her. He had a feeling that she would not take kindly to threats and then he would have to kill her.

It was a waste of time and energy in either situation, but his stubborn need for information kept his feet rooted firmly to the ground.

She lifted her kimono once more and was making her way back to dry land. The tension in her movements hinted to the fact that she was forcing herself from taking a glance at her victim.

'Why should she not look? It is just another thoughtless beast that brought death upon itself.'

Once she reached the bank a few feet from where he stood, she dropped her kimono and walked noiselessly over to a moss-covered tree trunk. The darkness of shadow she walked through seemed to have no effect on her radiant outline, although her pale hair ate it up and hid it in it's silken depths.

Once there, she slipped on a pair of black wooden geta sandals that rested on dark grass and turned completely around to face him with a welcoming smile lighting up her face.

In the distance he could hear two small feet, which he sensed awaken moments ago, padding quickly to the area. He just knew that this would create even more questions that he hadn't the conviction to answer. What was it with infuriating females and their uncanny abilities of finding him?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sesshomaru." The girl said exultantly and followed it with a swift formal bow. When she popped back up her hair swirled back around her dainty shoulders and her smile was so wide that it showed a peek of small pearly fang.

The sound of footsteps was dangerously close.

"I'm Sa…" The sound of feet stumbling to a halt across wet grass was heard and a definite "huff" noise followed after his left leg was used to break the fall of a small body. The demoness paused and crinkled up her brow while turning her head to that awkward position again.

She pointed a finger towards his calve and said, "I think your leg just talked." Yes, this was going to be a long night.

There was a ruffling of his pant leg before a small voice yelled out ecstatically "Sesshomaru-sama! I found you!" The squeezing of his leg and a fit of girlish giggles followed soon after.

That smile had returned to the female yokai's face once more as she straightened her head and blinked up at him. He knew that she could smell the child behind him and yet she said nothing and that smile never dropped. She didn't look judgmental in any way, in fact she gazed up at him with a strange form of appreciation in her taupe eyes.

When the hugging of his limb had ceased, Rin decided to come up for air and peeked around the white silk she still clutched with tiny fists.

Grey met brown and in a matter of seconds, two smiles were at war with each other. The teeth to face ratio had just doubled at a remarkable rate.

"Who's your friend Sesshomaru-sama." The small raven head asked before walking around and standing next to him, a hand still clutched to the material (ahhh…doesn't that sound adorable. I love Rin!)

Her eyes immediately became saucers and she dropped the silk, completely forgotten in her childish wonder. "Wowww… she's really pretty." She said after her eyes looked over the taller girl in amazement. The demoness actually became flustered from the surprise compliment before she realized how close the human child was to a bloody corpse. Her grey eyes mirrored Rin's, but for a completely different reason and she rushed to save the child's innocent eyes from the horrific scene.

She ran into Rin's peripheral and swiveled to a stop, her bo lodged into the ground, keeping her balance, before she stood with her arms outstretched.

The move confused Sesshomaru immensely. Why should she care what a single human child, whom she never met, saw? She was truly unlike any demon he had ever come across.

"Please avert your eyes little one." She asked kindly while trying to cover the area of Rin's vision completely. Rin, being…well Rin, asked with a tilt to her head (not unlike the demoness's) and humor laced in her voice "Why? Is there something dead behind you?"

The taller girl looked dumbfounded at the child's words and she dropped her arms in a momentary state of shock. Rin took the lapse of forgetfulness to her advantage and skipped closer to the pond with a curious giggle following the air behind her. The blonde girl kept her wide eyes trained at his feet, her mind more than likely lost in a sea of her own astonishment.

When Rin got close enough to catch a glimpse of the dead demon, she said with a curl of her little nose "Ewww…he was ugly. He must have been real naughty." When the female yokai heard the innocent admission, she took a large inhale of air and whipped her eyes to the tiny girl who had busied herself in finding a stick to poke the dead thing with.

When the weight of the child's words finally hit the woman, she almost fell to the muddy bank, her grip to the rokushakubo the only thing keeping her from hitting the ground. Sesshomaru supposed she wasn't like normal children and would come off as a shock to anyone not used to the bubbly girl's presence.

Rin dropped her stick when seeing the older girl's antics and something inside her young mind clicked. Sesshomaru could have groaned but, of course, did not.

The biggest smile Sesshomaru had ever seen on Rin's face appeared out of nowhere and she began to run full speed towards the girl. He was aware that the child trusted too easily, but he knew that the demoness was the farthest thing from a threat so, he allowed the harmless contact.

When the small form hit her body at full force, the female yokai looked surprised for a few moments before she righted herself completely and gazed down at Rin with a hazy mist in her eyes. The taller girl looked warily over towards him and when he made no objections, she slowly moved one of her slender hands to rest gently on Rin's orange clad back. It almost seemed as if she was afraid to touch the child.

Rin looked up from her position of smothering her face in the woman's hip and said pleadingly "I like her Sesshomaru-sama. Can she come with us?"

The woman was trying to piece together words to explain the situation that Rin's mind would take easily and failed miserably, when the child looked up in admiration of her and gripped her waist tighter.

Sesshomaru said nothing as he tried to assess the situation in a proper way. The first thing to pop into his head was the giant word NO in bright red letters.

Then he considered the fact that Rin could find ways to frustrate the hell out of him when she did not get something she really, really wanted. The way that Rin had tightened her grip and batted her eyelashes at the befuddled girl proved that she was already enamored. Was it worth weeks to months of a tiny female terror?

There was also the possibility that Rin was searching for a female influence in her life. She did need someone to teach her the proper ways of a lady while she was away from the castle (95 percent of the time) and the female seemed educated and polite enough.

He couldn't be around Rin all of the time and Jaken was proving himself unworthy of watching after the girl, especially if she managed to sneak here while he slept. The woman knew how to handle herself in battle and could be proper protection for the child when needed.

There were also the layers of mystery hanging over the fair demoness's head. He still needed the answers to many things about her before he could come to a suitable deduction. The way that she evaded direct inquiries in conversation confirmed that he would need time to unravel everything he needed knowing. Then again, she could become an aggravation and if Rin became more attached to her, she would be harder to dispose of.

This could be either an opportunity or a horrible mistake. It all depended on the personality of the girl standing before him.

When her caretaker had said nothing in response to the matter, Rin turned her head around and moved so that she could look up at her lord while still keeping her arms wrapped around the thin woman. She then continued with the most convincing puppy dogface that put the ones that daiyokai pups could make to shame. He was buckling and she knew it.

In the most sugary sweet voice the girl could muster, she said the words that broke the dog yokai's back. "Prettttyyyy pleeeassse Sesshomaru-samaaaa."

The words popped into his mind and left his lips before he could even think of stopping them. "She may follow if she so pleases." He said in the same disinterested tone while turning to head back to camp.

This was followed with a fit of delightful squealing and a small dance of victory on Rin's part and a long pause of shock and confusion on the part of the demon woman.

When she finally found her voice, she yelled out at his retreating back "Wha…You don't even know my name. I…I could be dangerous for all you know!" He stopped abruptly and looked over his broad shoulder at the beautiful girl bathed in moonlight being danced around by an overly excited Rin, as if she was a ceremonial fire of some sort.

"If that proves to be the case, then I can eliminate you at any time. There is no threat for this Sesshomaru." The critical look in his eyes took her back and established the danger that would befall her if she chose to do something unwise. Her expressive eyes washed themselves of fear and replaced it with an understanding and that strange appreciation as before.

There was definitely something about this woman.

Rin had stopped her tribal dance when she realized that her lord was leaving and turned to grip her knew found friend by the hand. When the woman looked down at her in surprise and didn't budge, the girl pulled with both hands and said "Come on. Sesshomaru-sama is leaving."

She smiled fondly at the child again and said that she must retrieve her pack of belongings first.

'So she does travel alone and in such fine clothing. It is strange indeed.'

When the black velvet pack was placed firmly on her shoulder, Rin pulled her forward at top speed and the girl's obvious rush made the woman laugh.

'It isn't a terrible noise.'

She fumbled with pulling her bo out of the ground while still in motion and the situation made her laugh even more. When Sesshomaru saw that they were following at a suitable pace, he continued onward.

Before he reached the break between the tree line and the muddy bank, he heard a feminine voice yell out between titters "By the way, my name is Sayuri!"

**Crazy Girl Glossary:**

**Geta sandals:** They are a type of Japanese sandal, usually worn by geisha or of females in higher ranks of society. They are usually made from wood and colored in black, white, or red (They make them in colors that match the kimono's, but those are usually the most popular). Unlike other sandals, these have a separate elevated heel that clunk when walked in. If you have ever seen Samurai Champloo, Fuu wears geta sandals similar to Sayuri.

**Well, I guess that's all**.

**Please Review!!** Thank you all that have already reviewed! Your positive feedback is what drives me to write as best and much as I can! All reviews and constructed criticism are welcome! Flames are happily ignored and fed to horse flies. See ya next time lovies! **(Inner voice: Yea…if I don't chop her up into little pieces by then. Evil laugh.)** What's that supposed to mean?


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note:** Here is the third installment to Of a Lord and Lady! Things get a bit more personal in this chappy and a few questions may be answered, but I want to keep a layer of mystery through out the entire story and let little things out progressively. You get to see a bit more into Sayuri's character this time around and I was happy that I could include it without making it sound cheesy. Well that about wraps it all up. Hope you enjoy!!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha, Rin, Jaken, Au-Un, or….oh…I can't say it…it hurts my soul **(inner me: Just spit it out already stupid!! They don't want to read your** **unnecessary babble!)**…ok…here it goes…um…**(Hurry up!)**….FINE!!...I don't own Sesshy either! The world is so cruel! **(What ever).**

**Of a Lord and Lady**

**Chapter Three: To have a Purpose**

There was a time in my life when I was given a specific purpose. There was no better feeling than knowing that I was needed to others. I had a reason to live other than preparing to become a proper mate to a man I had never met. I felt that if I could prove myself as the perfect match for that purpose, that I could be a free individual until I chose otherwise. But, I failed miserably and lost more than just that purpose. That purpose that had seemed so important in a sense of a way to control my own life and not for what it truly was.

It was something that I could not grasp until I lost it completely. My own selfishness had done me in and now I repent for the mistake that I can never apologize for until death. I would have mated a million vile yokai for the chance to take everything back. I cannot and I will never ever have the luxury of that choice.

I have floated through life in a distant haze for many years, feeling more and more useless with each passing day. To have a purpose was to have something to fall back on and remind myself why life was so worth living to its extent.

Now, a single small human child with a brilliant smile and bare feet was wiping back large portions of the smog that I have cleverly built around myself over the course of twenty years. She managed to bring genuine light to a woman with a lost past in only one meeting. It would have felt like a weight lifting off my tired body if she had not looked so similar to him…

The whole night had become a whirlwind of change and she couldn't seize any form of control. Everything was unexpected and new and she was assured that this night would forever be blazed in her memory as one that broke a monotony long running.

It had all changed so quickly and frankly, it scared the living out of her. She hadn't sensed a thing when he appeared behind her. He was a yokai of such extraordinary power that he could completely cover his scent, a technique she had not even mastered.

He had broken through her reverie with a simple question in that deep and disinterested tone. In truth, she was so shocked that she hadn't even heard what he asked from the pounding that found its way to her ears. She had not been taken off guard like that since she was just a child learning to swing a bo correctly. It took someone with a lot of self-control to overcome her in such a way. She had dropped her weapon from the shock of it all for Kami Sami sake!

She was currently walking at a measured pace behind the stony daiyokai and the ever chipper girl, Rin, who had started dancing in merry circles once more, as she looked back on how she had come to this situation. The moonlight began to dance in the shine of his long silvery hair as he walked ahead and she had to force down that maddening attraction she felt again. She knew her cheeks were on fire, but she had somehow succeeded in not making a complete fool of herself.

After she had gotten over her initial surprise of him just appearing behind her out of the blue, she had assessed him before she could stop her blasted eyes. The first thing she had noticed was that he was amazingly tall. He must have towered over her by almost a foot.

His clothing looked exceedingly expensive and rich to the touch. The white silk he wore was in an elegant style that gave him an over all air of regality. The red flower design printed on the shoulder and sleeves, gave way to what clan he resided from and at that moment, Sayuri knew exactly who the man was. Yet, she still could not stop her wandering eyes to save her life (and depending on what mercy he was willing to give out, it could have meant her life).

His dark cuirass was well crafted for battle and the spiked pauldron attached to it gave him a foreboding quality that still did not take away from his elegant appeal. Tucked into his cornflower yellow and purple accented sash were two long swords that reassured his ability to decapitate her at any time. The whole ensemble was finished off with an immense strip of white fur that was casually draped over his right side.

By that time, her breathing was well past accelerating and could have reached hyperventilating if she hadn't controlled it in time. She let her curious orbs stray to his face and her sudden quickness of breath almost knocked the wind out of her.

He was the most beautiful yokai (male or female) that she had ever laid eyes on and it made her very breath constrict in her throat. It almost seemed wrong to describe him as beautiful, because of his obvious masculinity, but he pulled off his appearance in a way that made him undeniably male.

His smooth skin was only a few shades darker than her own and was marked with two magenta stripes highlighting his chiseled cheek bones and a periwinkle blue crescent moon, centered on his forehead. If she had any misgivings about his background, they were quickly erased by the collaboration of markings gracing his handsome features.

He had very attractive lips although they stayed cemented in a straight line and it didn't seem like he used them for much smiling. His nose was perfectly aligned on his placid face and had a slight upturning tip that gave his face a pleasing youthfulness.

His eyes were one of the most stunning pair she had ever seen and were hooded by two even magenta stripes, not unlike the ones on his cheeks. She could remember clearly how his unabashed eyes had bored holes into her own in a way that frightened and excited her at the same time. It was as if he could see right through her without effort and it became unnerving to a fault.

That striking molten gold color was something she would not soon forget. They were so vivid in color, but were devoid of all emotion. In fact, his whole demeanor was devoid of all emotion. The chilly waves he emitted from his personality had a way of making her skin shiver. It confused her still.

'How could such a warm color seem so cold? Why does he not show emotion?' It was definitely something to investigate.

Perfectly pointed ears led into hair so amazing, that she had to fight down the urge to run her fingers through it just to see if it felt as soft as it looked. It reached all the way down his body and rested on the back of his knees in a silverish-white so surreal that she was dumb struck for at least a minute. She had to look him over multiple times to reassure that he was indeed real and not a figment of her over active imagination.

A man's appearance alone had never had this much affect on her before (if any affect at all) and she didn't think she liked the feeling of vulnerability it came along with. She knew that he could smell any attraction that she might have for him, so she forced it all down and attempted to repress her flushing horribly.

Even now, as she followed a distance behind him, she wished the cool night air would pick up so that her face might have a rest from its persistent over heating. If he noticed, he said nothing and she didn't think he would waste the time to mention it anyway. She realized early on that he wasn't exactly the talkative type and she was sure he wouldn't waste his breath on something that would be so unimportant to him.

She took a glance up at his back and her thoughts turned to that of their strange, yet not unpleasant conversation. He didn't say much and when he did, he always wanted a straight answer. That much was obvious. He held himself with such an intelligence and strength that he almost had her cracking on certain tricky subjects.

She was proud of herself for not revealing too much of what she knew, but there was something in his aloof eyes that told her that he was aware of the deception anyhow. Some things are better left unsaid. She knew as clear as day that he was Sesshomaru-sama of the Western Lands. She hadn't lived under a rock her entire life and there was no denying whose son he was. She had met his father and looked upon him with her very own eyes. They were strikingly familiar in looks. There must be something about inuyokai, because she had not ever met an unattractive one.

She had her reasons as to why she didn't address him as a lord or let him know that she recognized his station. If he had found it offensive, he would have spoken up by now.

Boy, did she hate irony.

She looked down at the lines of her palms for a moment before trying to turn her thoughts to more optimistic things.

There was the strange fact that Sesshomaru let her tail along in the first place. He would have no fear of her making any dangerous mistakes regarding the girl for he had told her himself that he would take her life if such a situation would arise. Sayuri wouldn't hold it past the no nonsense lord that could probably crack her skull with the grip of one hand. It still did not explain her presence though.

Rin discontinued her little dance and had resumed pulling at her kimono enthusiastically, her contagious laughter never ceasing.

She found herself returning that smile and it felt so good for it to be a genuine one. She had not smiled like this in years and she didn't want it to stop. Maybe that was why she agreed to follow them in the first place. That or because the little girl was more than impossible to let down.

Whatever the reason, there she was, accompanying a cold demon lord and the happy human child that trailed after him. Sesshomaru and Rin's relationship was still up in the air and indefinable to her, but she did not want to pry into something that wasn't her business.

If they so felt that she should know than she would be told. It didn't help her feel any less appreciation for the inexpressive lord though. Not many demons (especially male demon lords) could give up any amount of their pride for the sake of another. For some reason it made her smile.

It was clear that he cared for and protected the child like his own and Sayuri was ecstatic that he hadn't taken to hating all humans. She herself thought that they could be wonderful little creatures when they were not tainted by the evil surrounding them. Their life forces and creativity never ceased to amaze her. The things that they could accomplish in such a small amount of time was something to be admired and not scoffed at.

Perhaps Sesshomaru had the same views.

Sayuri stole a second glance up at the lord and his unflinching cold demeanor and thought with a laugh 'Perhaps not.'

Rin must have been in his care for some time, if she was so used to seeing the corpses of demons. She was such a unique child and she had shocked the demon girl in a way that she never thought she could be. She let the child pull her along at a faster pace while she studied her angelic features.

That lopsided ponytail and cheery brown eyes had gotten Sayuri the moment she saw them. She had always loved children and Rin was no exception. Yet…that long dark hair, those deep eyes filled with such true innocence, and rosy pink cheeks. It almost made Sayuri sad at how much she resembled him in appearance and personality.

It was uncanny and although being in such close proximity to the girl made her remember everything in a fresh light, it also brought her a form of comfort and familiarity that she couldn't quite understand. She would not forget anything anytime soon so Sayuri thought that any semblance of happiness that might be brought forth from companionship was well worth the dark memories.

She was such a pretty little girl and Sayuri almost laughed at the thought of Sesshomaru sending death threats to boys interested in an older version of Rin. It was easy to see Sesshomaru as a protector, but was he a fitting caretaker? She looked Rin over once more for anything that might seem amiss for an ordinary child.

She looked well cared for and had a clean orange kimono in proper condition, but Sayuri was shocked to see her running about with no footwear. It was something that she would have to fix. She also started to wonder if the girl had changes of clothes or if she had separate things to sleep in. It was a good thing she brought a needle!

When Sayuri realized that she was already going over ways in her mind to pamper and spoil the girl, she laughed quietly at herself. It didn't look like she would be able to leave the girl's side any time soon.

Sayuri readjusted her rokushakubo in her left hand and offered her right to the object of her musings beside her. Rin looked up at the offering with a huge grin and wrapped her tiny fingers around it without hesitation. They then proceeded to run after Sesshomaru through the dark forest, dodging trees and jumping over fallen logs and upturned roots the entire time.

When it all came down to it, the reasons as to why she was following the unlikely duo didn't matter. All that did matter was that she was finally feeling like herself.

Besides, how could she possibly leave when she was having this much fun?

* * *

The trip was a short one through a small forest and then on the rocky border of a gurgling stream. Once they left the hidden darkness of dense tree branches, the world was brought to the benevolence of moon light that touched everything in it's seeking path. It was remarkable how sometimes the moon lit things up more clearly at night than the sun during the day.

The sound of their feet upon the sharp gravel brought Sayuri out of her thoughts and she looked worriedly down at the shoeless girl attached to her arm. Just as she had predicted, Rin was grimacing in pain each time she placed a foot down.

"Do the rocks hurt the bottom of your feet little one?" She asked with a gentle smile. When Rin looked up at her and nodded her head timidly, Sayuri stopped moving completely. Sesshomaru halted briefly and watched the interaction out of the corner of his sharp eye.

Rin was surprised by the sudden lack of motion and looked up at the taller woman with enlarged eyes. Sayuri bent down on one knee and opened up her free arm in offering to the little girl with a welcoming smile on her beautiful face. Once Rin understood the meaning of the offered arm, she made a smile that came close to ripping her face in half and launched herself into Sayuri's arms.

Sayuri laughed and waited for the girl to get into a comfortable position before she stood back up. Rin snuggled into the crook of her shoulder and twirled a finger around a strand of her hair as Sayuri began to move forward. She used her bo as a walking stick and held Rin's weight against the right side of her body without struggle.

She could tell that the girl was not used to such affection (at least from other females) and was happy that she was able to get so close. When Sesshomaru was satisfied that they were following close enough and that the slight woman was not going to fall over from the weight of her weapon and Rin combined, he started moving forward again.

"You can meet Jaken when we get back Sayi-chan." Rin said eagerly while pointing to the horizon of their destination. She had already created a nickname for the demoness. "Oh yes, you'll meet Ah-Un too."

"Jaken, Ah-Un? Do you travel with more than just Sesshomaru?" Sayuri asked curiously. 'Who else would the western lord possibly watch over? Does he just pick up misfit children where ever he roams?' She looked up at the inuyokai in question and started snickering. Somehow, she couldn't possibly imagine him being surrounded by multiple little humans, pulling at his hakama and fighting for his avid attention.

"Yep. You will like them although Jaken can be a meany sometimes." She said with a small pout in regards to Jaken's behavior. Sayuri laughed at the girl's actions and listened as she chattered away on how Jaken refused to skip rocks one day, which had turned into a giant debate between the two.

When they finally reached a break in the lining of trees, Sesshomaru paused and looked down at the girls and Sayuri gazed into the area where they would spend the night. In the small meadow lied a dying fire, a large two-headed dragon with colorful flowers weaved in it's mane, and an infant sized imp demon snoring loudly against the dragon's belly with a long wooden staff placed firmly against his stomach.

'Well, they definitely aren't children.'

Tonight was surely a night for many surprises. Sayuri's attention was brought back to the girl once more as she started to squirm in her arms. She let the child down on the ground gently and watched as she ran over to the sleeping pair with her arms outstretched like a bird.

The brown scaled dragon was fully awake and bent both it's necks down for Rin to pet it's black fur. After she had her fill of stroking the seemingly docile creature, the girl turned her attention to more devious things. When Rin approached the sleeping imp, Sesshomaru started to walk slowly (Is there any other pace for Sesshomaru? lol) into the clearing.

Sayuri waited, not wanting to intrude in any way, and watched as Rin began to wake the green demon. "Jaken. Jaken wake up, you have to meet someone." When he did not budge, Rin bent down and grabbed the sleeper by his brown collar.

She then proceeded to shake him vehemently while screaming "Jaken, wake UP!" Jaken twitched before he opened his bulging yellow eyes and jumped up in alert surprise. The surprise was quickly replaced with anger for being awoken so violently and he began to yell at the girl.

"Rin! How dare you wake me in such a manner, you foolish human!" he screamed with one of his arms wailing about in the air. Sayuri was upset by the toad's wording and looked over at Rin to see if she was hurt by the insult.

The courageous little girl just looked at the squabbling imp with her hands on her tiny hips and said with a laugh "Your silly master Jaken! Stop yelling and come meet Sayi-chan." Jaken paid no mind to her words and stalked around the girl with a sleepy scowl.

"I wish that Sesshomaru-sama would get b…" He had gone on irately until he almost walked straight into the leg of the inuyokai in mention. Sesshomaru looked down at the much smaller demon with no expression but the slight raise of one elegant brow.

Jaken sweat dropped and attempted to avoid a painful outcome by backtracking his words. "Ss…Sesshomaru-samma. What a coincidence…you see I was just thinking ouffff." His stuttering sentence was silenced by the heel of the lord's black boot as he stepped on the imp and kept walking further into the glade.

"Rin left the camp. Make sure it does not happen again" Were Sesshomaru's only cold words for the smushed imp. Jaken lifted his red and bruised head from its indent in the ground and long streams of tears left his bulbous yellow eyes.

"Please forgive me milord! I did not realize that she had left." He was wiping the over done tears from his green face and righting his little black hat over the bump on his head when he finally looked up. Sayuri had to admit that he was kind of cute in a toady sort of way.

"Who is thaaa…" His eyes had started at her elevated sandals and his words died in his throat when he took the rest of her in. He was starry eyed and glued to his position kneeling on the ground when Rin giggled and skipped her way over.

"I told you Jaken, this is Sayuri-chan." She said while pointing to the smiling demoness for good measure. Jaken rubbed his eyes in disbelief and scooted forward for a better inspection of the woman. "Master Jaken…why is your face all red?" Jaken ignored the girl completely and only stopped short of drooling over the demoness in his blatant gawking. Sayuri cleared her throat uncomfortably and tried to establish a means of introduction with the imp.

She bent down, picked his forgotten staff from the ground, and stood back up with it in offering to the tiny yokai. "Hello Jaken. My name is Sayuri. I think you dropped this." She said softly with a kind smile warming her features. Jaken acted as if he had never seen the staff in his life and looked up at Sayuri with even more awe in his saffron eyes.

"You mean to tell me that you are not a goddess?" Sayuri was surprised by the bizarre compliment and in turn, blushed herself. 'There is always a first time for everything.' She supposed.

Sayuri lifted her smile once more and shook her head in response. "I'm afraid not." She said quietly. Jaken lifted one clawed hand forward and touched the hem of her kimono as if to prove that she was real. When his fingers slid across the white silk, he jumped up as if he had been shocked.

"You are real! How is it possible? You are truly the fairest lady that I have ever seen!" He yelled out in an inflated tone that made Sayuri visibly fluster. Sesshomaru gave the scene a side-glance and could have chuckled (he did not of course) at Sayuri's reaction towards the imp's admiration. Being who he was, he didn't even give the humorous situation a second thought while he sat down gracefully against the same tree he was using before the disturbance.

Sayuri sighed and attempted to find her voice from within her inner embarrassment. "I thank you for your gracious flattery Jaken, but I assure you that I am not all that beautiful." She said quietly while kneeling back down and fixing his cap to properly fit on his swelled head.

Jaken blushed harder at the near contact of her slender hands on his head and stammered to find the correct words when she pulled away. "Let me assure you milady, that you are mistaken on that harsh critique of yourself. Sayuri, is that what you said your name was?" When she nodded her head and handed him the staff of two heads, he stood up and seemed to come back to reality.

"My name is Jaken fair lady. If you do not mind me saying, it is a beautiful name, but it sounds so familiar. Are you possibly from the Western Lands?" He asked while guiding her into the camp with a politeness he rarely brandished. Rin was fast to catch on to it and even faster to comment.

"Jaken, you're acting funny. Do you have a crush on Sayi-chan?" She asked while poking him playfully in the arm. Jaken flushed once more and defended himself with his usual brashness towards the human child.

"Do not be so ignorant, girl! I would not be so forward!" he screeched uproariously. Rin just laughed at his discomfort and grabbed Sayuri's free hand. "It is not a good thing to lie Master Jaken." She yelled giddily while dragging the demoness to the fire. Jaken grumbled about meddling humans and stalked after them with a small pout on his beak. He was good at holding his temper when Sesshomaru was within earshot.

Rin skidded to a stop before the flames and pointed at the dragon yokai who looked Sayuri over in interest. "That is Ah." She said gesturing to one head. "And that one is Un." She finished and pulled Sayuri over to pet them. Sayuri giggled at Rin's excitement and allowed herself to be dragged by the jolly girl. When they reached the large creature, Sayuri rubbed the top of each head and scratched each ear while saying "Hello Ah-Un. I am Sayuri and I guess I will be traveling with you, if you have no objections."

When she felt the heads push closer into the palms of her hands, she laughed and said, "Well, that's definitely a good thing to know." After they rubbed over the scaly necks of the dragon numerous times, a tired Rin decided it was time to sit down. She pulled Sayuri before the fire opposite the dormant Lord and plopped down on the grass. Sayuri followed, in a more careful manner, and pulled her legs beneath her.

When she was placing her bo and pack on the grass beside her, Jaken had made his way over and sat down before the fire himself. He looked over Sayuri carefully before prompting a question. "May I ask you something Lady Sayuri?" Rin was snuggling into her side after a long yawn when Sayuri looked over to him with her usual smile.

"Of course Jaken. We have just met and I am sure you have many questions." Jaken nodded mutely and pulled his staff closer to his chest. "What exactly are you doing here? Will you be traveling with us?" he asked in an uncharacteristically cordial manner. Sayuri moved her arm so that Rin could cuddle closer to her side and let her gaze roam to the cold one that had not left her movements since she arrived.

Sesshomaru regarded the demoness across the fire in his normal inexpressiveness. 'I have a feeling that not being able to read him will become aggravating.' She thought about her answer conscientiously without taking her eyes from the chilly demon lord's.

"I'm not quite sure myself Jaken. Perhaps Sesshomaru can enlighten us all." She said without breaking her cheerful smile. Jaken had gasped at the lack of formality that the girl had said the Lord's name in, but did not interrupt for the hope of an answer. Sesshomaru showed no sign of being disrespected and kept his gaze planted firmly on the woman and the girl curled up next to her.

Rin was slowly falling asleep and could barely comprehend anything besides the way that her Lord's eyes stood still within the dancing flames.

'She wishes to know her reasons of being summoned here. So be it…' were his thoughts before he answered the innocent inquiry. "She is here to watch after Rin when I am not able. She may also instruct the girl on what this Sesshomaru has not already." Was all he said before he turned his attention to the starry skyline.

Jaken nodded his head in understanding and let the shock he felt from the girl blatantly disrespecting his Lord, and not being punished for it, drop. He was happy to have such a specimen of beauty in his presence and he knew much better than to question his Lord's judgment.

Sayuri let her gaze drop from the handsome inuyokai and looked over the tiny girl leaning against her with a different smile gracing her lips. The fire's glow illuminated Rin's half conscience features and glimmered on the strands of her raven colored hair.

'To have a purpose'

"Either way, I am happy to have you here Lady Sayuri." Jaken said sincerely with the closest thing to a smile he could muster. Rin adjusted her position and looked up at the demoness with half lidded honey eyes. "I'm happy too Sayi…" she whispered sleepily before letting her head fall against her makeshift pillow once more.

'To have a purpose is truly wonderful.'

Sayuri lifted Rin's small shoulders and moved her head to rest atop her lap without getting grass stains on her kimono. "I'm happy to be here." She murmured quietly as she brushed a few strands of ebony hair from Rin's soft face. Sesshomaru's eyes swept back over the thin woman and he watched the fond expression she had as she looked down closely at the sleeping child.

'If she is truly the Sayuri I believe her to be, then it is a wonder that she is still alive.' Sesshomaru had shown no visible surprise when he heard the woman say her name as they journeyed back to camp, but he had felt it. He had speculated her identity during her battle, but had not expected to be correct on such an unviable presumption.

'She does have the markings of the Hamada clan. Her strange powers belonged to that of that family as well. She has no reason to lie about her background and yet she has not brought it up.' The firelight made her pale hair illuminate in light reds and golds and her grey eyes smoldered darkly.

'She has made no comment to suggest that she knew of me prior to our meeting.' The Inuyokai of the Western Lands had been no strangers to the Hamada clan of the North. Having been allies for over 400 years, Sesshomaru had been taught the names and rank of each member in that family as a fledgling.

'The same should have been expected from the royal children of the Hamada.' He thought without letting his regard drop from the beautiful yokai. He knew of the name Sayuri very well and if her parents were not cruel while living, then she should know of his.

'What is she holding back?'

Jaken had fallen back to sleep against his staff and the only sound that remained in the dark camp was his light snoring.

"You know…" Sayuri said quietly, breaking the silence, while keeping her peaceful gaze upon Rin's deep breathing. A small smile made its way to her soft lips and she chose that time to look up at Sesshomaru's unrelenting scrutiny. She let her smoky orbs remain on his golden ones before she finished a vowel of her thought.

Sesshomaru could not help but think of how vulnerable she looked within those stilled seconds. Something had been stripped from her gaze and even though she never appeared guarded, this moment proved otherwise.

She still had that empty little smile on as she whispered for his ears only "You're taller than your father."

To say that Sesshomaru wasn't shocked would have been a poor lie. His eyes widened, if only by a millimeter and his mind reeled at her softly spoken words. He showed no other emotion after the falter in his mask and silence remained supreme. Sayuri's own mask slipped back into place and she resumed stroking Rin's hair with the utmost tenderness. Sesshomaru kept his gaze steadily on her in an attempt to come to an understanding.

"How did you survive?" he asked her in his uniform disinterested tone even though he was anything but. Her face didn't drop from it's content expression and the only indication that she had even heard his words was the simple raise of both her pale brows. There was several seconds of quite before the lady answered the question that said so little, but meant so much.

She stopped the delicate movements of her hand for a moment and murmured dimly "It's hard to say."

That was all that was said. Sesshomaru returned his stern attention to the dark horizon and Sayuri returned to her comforting gestures. Everything they wanted to say, they could not. Although some things were understood in the darkness, other things were left to float unknown in the blank air. The lord would only say so much and the lady would only give so much away. It made him uneasy and it made her sad.

At least the silence was soothing.

* * *

**Northern Feudal Japan**

**Hamada Family Compound**

**About 150 years earlier**

Lord Masayoshi Hamada busied himself with the growing pile of paperwork stacked high upon his study's oak desk. He knelt nobly upon one of the lavish golden cushions surrounding the table while he sorted through the massive pile of scrolls corresponding to the union plan between the Western lands and his own. The two clans had been allies in all of the feuding wars and battles of the last 250 years, but growing times of mistrust and conflict called for a sounder pact between the lands.

Masayoshi sighed and ran an elegant hand through his long black hair. Lord Inu-no-taisho's suggestion over the matter would have been a solid and rational one if he had been an outsider in the situation. That not being the case, the idea was painful and particularly unwanted on his behalf. Masayoshi did not follow the similar paths as other demon lords did and although Inu-no-taisho was just inclining towards a possible answer to their dilemma, he was not overly positive that he could agree with the wise dog demon lord on this topic.

A slight smirk graced his regal features as he remembered bringing the idea up with his beloved wife a week ago. She had thrown a teapot through the shoji (which ended up in a million shards upon the courtyard stone) and threatened to pummel him to death if he even dared bring the very thought of it up again. She had refused to even speak to him until just yesterday, where they conversed seriously on the proposal.

They were unsuccessful in determining a correct path, but luckily, his body and masculinity remained intact for now. The only thing that they surely decided on was to speak with their daughter and convey her opinions on the matter.

They did just that the night before and he remembered with prideful clarity the intelligence and understanding shining back at him through her young eyes. She admitted that she was not sure how she would feel about the idea when she was older, but for now, all that mattered to her was her father's happiness and the protection of her family and people. Masayoshi was not as confident at all with the idea.

His children were his pride and joy in life and their happiness was the most important thing to him (after that of his wife's of course). He wanted his children (especially his daughter) to discover and enjoy a love like the one that he and Hikari shared. His father before him did not believe in arranged marriages and he certainly did not either.

By one word from his daughter's lips, he would forget the union with the Western lands forever. His people did not by any means, need any more protection and he possessed some of the best warriors and weaponry on the continent. Yet, the level of camaraderie between the two clans (which his father had established) and the helpfulness of outside information would forever be lost. Masayoshi carefully spread a scroll out which was sprawled with Inu-no-taisho's penmanship.

The situation was not a very precarious one and there were other ways of concreting the relationship between the clans. The lord's spirits lifted slightly at a more optimistic outlook on the proposal. Besides, there was no real harm if the two were to casually meet and get to know one another. The fates could have an entirely different outcome for their relationship. Perhaps they could even fall in love on their own accord.

'Hikari has made me much too romantic for my own good.' He chuckled at his musings and began a reply to his esteemed fellow lord on a different approach. The familiar sound of light padding of small feet upon the hallway's polished floor reached his keen ears.

One side of his mouth tilted upwards in amusement as he remained focused in his work. The swift swoosh of the shoji being flung open was followed with even swifter footsteps hurtling towards his dormant form. He placed his brush in the ink well calmly before an enthusiastic little body crashed into him. His strong body took the brunt of the attack without flinching and he looked knowingly down at the white clad form buried in his side with a full-fledged smile.

A muffled "Papa!!" was cried into his red hakama and he chuckled deeply when one large grey eye peeked up at him in all of it's curious wonder.

"What is this that has found me?" he asked in his general warm and caring tone.

Little pale fingers pushed off his shoulders and she hoisted her body backwards until she landed on her bottom before him. Long pale tendrils were pulled into two pigtails at each side of her head, with two white flowers adorning each white ribbon that held them in place. Her short pure white kimono reached her mid thigh and was synched closed with a small black obi covered in embroidered blue flowers. She had somehow managed to push her long formal sleeves all the way up to her shoulders.

She was a very thin girl compared to her peers and never seemed to retain baby fat of any kind. She was constantly active and she defied even demonic nature with her stamina and rambunctiousness. Despite this, she was a rare beauty, like her mother, and had inherited many ethereal like qualities that had shown even in her 9 years of youth. She shared her mother's unique hair color and delicate features, but those sparkling orbs filled to the brim with wit and playfulness were all his. It still shocked him whenever he looked upon her small face and saw his own eyes peer back at him.

She giggled at his absurdly playful question and answered back accordingly, "I'm the Sayuri monster and I have come to eat your brains!!" She then got on her knees and flashed her small fangs while crossing her eyes. Masayoshi laughed whole heartily and scooped the tiny girl into his arms while she giggled madly.

Her good nature and stunning beauty had already caught many a male's attention and quite a few of the counter parts in his court were looking forward to her debut. Luckily enough for him and Hikari, that was a long way from now and they had her for years to come.

When they both calmed a bit, Sayuri cuddled up in his lap and looked over the scrolls packed onto the desk with her general curiosity. His girl wasn't all play though, she had matured quickly and often had many serious conversations and lessons from Takehiko and himself. She fingered a red inu-yokai symbol branded on a parchment and bit her small pink lip in thought.

"Hiko says that he doesn't want me to be engaged. He says that he will not allow it." She whispered in a soft voice. He knew of his son's views on the entire situation. He had spoken to Takehiko not three days before and he was almost as enraged as his mother was. He is extremely protective of his younger sister and would die before he let anyone hurt her in anyway.

Sayuri turned around in his lap and looked up at him with earnestness etched into her eyes. "Mommy and brother are not even giving this person a chance. He could be a very nice boy." She said while pulling on a black tassel on his form fitting hakama.

"Mommy and Hiko are just worried about your protection Sayuri-chan. They love you very much." She smiled and laughed at the silliness of her family.

"They should know that you would not do something to hurt me. You love me too, right?"

Masayoshi pulled the little girl closer and assured her. "Of course."

Sayuri leaned back into her father's chest and sighed. "Then they should stop worrying so much." She whispered while reading over a letter from Inu-no-taisho discreetly, looking for any clues describing her possible future fiancé to be. How could this young man not fall in love with her? The Lords' plan was starting to look brighter every second.

"I want to marry a good man that will let me practice with my Bo. I cannot be cooped up like some trophy wife. I want to be like mommy." She whispered sleepily with a hint of awe when describing her greatest role model.

"You will be my dear." While he returned to his letter, she scooted closer to his chest and yawned.

"Is he a good man papa?" she asked while twirling a long piece of his ebony hair between her milky fingers. Masayoshi stopped and grinned.

"I am sure that any son Lord Inu-no-taisho has a part in raising will be as good and kind as they come." He said while pulling on one of her tails of hair.

"When will we meet him?" she inquired while pulling on a strand of his own locks. "I am arranging that now little one." He answered quietly then returned to his brush.

Sayuri smiled and let out the contented sigh of a child with no true burdens or worries to weigh her down in her world.

She looked up at the dusky grey of her father's eyes and asked a final sleepy question. "What was his name again papa?"

Without taking his attention away from his efforts, he murmured between his handsome accustomed smirk "Sesshomaru." Sayuri nodded groggily, pleased with the response. It was a nice name, after all. As her long lashes touched her freckled cheeks in weariness, she tried the name out on her own lips for the first time.

"Sesshomaruu….."

**Crazy Girl Glossary:**

**The Hamada summary so far…**

**Masayoshi:** Sayuri's father; name meaning govern righteously or shining goodness

**Hikari:** Sayuri's mother; name meaning light/shining

**Takehiko:** Sayuri's older brother; name meaning solder prince

**Seiji:** Sayuri's little brother; name meaning admonishing/pure second son

**That's about it….if I missed anything or if you have any questions don't hesitate to….**

**REVIEW!!** Thank you all who have already reviewed…I love you…, but many more reviews are needed my dears!! Positive encouragement and constructive criticism are welcome with open arms. Flames happily ignored **(inner me: That's right!!).** Believe me, my confidence needs some form of a boost. **(Yea…she is pretty much pathetic.)** Ouch…harsh. **(deal.)**


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